Flower Embroidery in a Hoop

I finished this embroidery that I started last year in December 2025. After hurting my ribcage, I needed some handwork to do, so this was a great reason to get started on this embroidery. I have also been knitting a lot too. Sewing at the machine is now happening slowly and for short periods of time until I am 100% better. I am getting there.

I hadn't done any hand embroidery in a long time! I thought this was a pretty one. It was a kit from Amazon. The embroidery floss that came with the kit wasn't the best quality though and I think it may have been polyester thread instead of cotton, but it didn't say. It came with 2 needles (not great needle quality and not very sharp needles either) and even little scissors (the scissors were not sharp or very good and could barely cut the thread), a needle threader that really didn't work with the needle size and threads used in the kit, and a plastic hoop, which was fine.

This is the back of the hoop embroidery. I stamped a couple of stamps and wrote the month/year I completed this piece. I glued the stiff fabric to the hoop edge to cover up the back of the embroidery stitches.

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Sew Powerful Purses #376-385 (for 2025)

10 purses made during the September Sew-a-thon for Sew Powerful Purse Project. I bought a quilt pattern at a quilt show over a year ago and used just the wool appliqué flowers and hand embroidery part of the pattern to make these 9 flaps. I added strips of fabrics around the handstitched sections to make the flap to the correct size. These took time to make, but I enjoy hand stitching, so I didn't mind. I also made one Southwest bear appliqué flap using the same blue exterior body fabric as the rest.

Some of the quilt blocks had little flowerpots, which you could buy little flowerpot buttons for extra if you wanted to add them. I decided to use some scraps of cork material for the flowerpots instead.

The flowerpot on the center purse I used a wooden thimble shaped button for the flowerpot. This is what I wanted to use for them all, and I thought I had several thimble buttons, but I only had one. The button came in a variety package of other sewing related themed buttons. The other button shapes I got 2-3 of each button, but only one thimble in the package. I couldn't find find any affordable thimble shaped buttons anywhere online, so chose to use the flowerpot template and cork to make the rest. The place that sold the pattern had flowerpot buttons, but the shipping would have cost me more than the buttons and the button were already quite pricey for such tiny buttons.

Southwest bear fetish flap.

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Sew Powerful Purse #107 (2025)

I found one more flap I had made with the hand embroidered herb in a pot. This one must have been hiding in the bag of flaps I had made 😄. All done now.

I used crayon to color the pot and the leaves. A few added buttons. I sprayed with Scotch Guard to help keep it clean.

I used upcycled denim jeans for the purse body.

Made a back pocket.

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Sew Powerful Purses #84-86 (2025)

Here are the last 3 purses of hand embroidered Herbs with crayon added. All of these have upcycled denim jean bodies. All flaps were sprayed with Scotch Guard. Donating these to Sew Powerful.

Back pockets.

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Sew Powerful Purses #81-83 (2025)

Another 3 embroidered herb flaps with crayon added. 2 with upcycled denim jean purse bodies. These will be donated to Sew Powerful.

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Sew Powerful Purses #78-80 (2025)

Years and years ago I started doing these (and 6 more) herb embroidery from an Aunt Martha iron on herb embroidery pattern. I thought I might make a quilt or several small quilts with them. I started a few and they sat for years. I found them later and colored parts with crayon and finished the embroidery on the ones that hadn't been stitched yet.  I thought these would look great for purse flaps for the Sew Powerful purses that I make to donate to girls in Zambia, so that's what they all are now. 

I sprayed them with Scotch Guard to help keep them cleaner. I hope it worked as the spray was more foamy than spray. I hadn't used it much before and it never really sprayed well, even shaking the can as directed.

I am glad I made these into purse flaps as they look pretty good and are going to a good cause too.

2 with upcycled denim jeans, including the front pockets from the jeans, which adds bonus pockets to the front.

The back denim jeans pockets too. I cut the back out with the pockets still attached. I used to remove the pockets and sew them back on so they would be straighter, since back jean pockets are at a slight angle when you wear them. It's easier to leave them attached.

I have 6 more made with different herbs that I will share soon too.

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Patchwork Fabric Folder Pattern (available in my PayHip Shop)

This pdf pattern is available to purchase in my PayHip Shop. This folder is fun to make as well as so useful. It is a great pattern for using up fabric scraps, pieced or appliqué orphan quilt blocks, hand or machine embroidered blocks, fussy cut fabric or any fabric that you want to use. While the name "Patchwork" is in the title, you can make it in one fabric as well. I just love finding ways to use up that never-ending pile of scraps!

These folders make awesome gifts for anyone. You can make them for a doctor or nurse you know with a medical appliqué or novelty fabric. Know someone who is a coffee or tea lover? Appliqué a coffee or teacup or pot or find a tea or coffee fabric print to use. Music lover? A musical fabric print would be perfect. You get the idea. Let your imagination run wild. 

The pattern does not include any appliqué designs because we all have different tastes and needs for the folder and so I leave that decision to you what you will put on the cover front. There are oodles of free quilt block designs on the internet, both pieced and applique. Those of you who have embroidery machines, you can embroider a block for the cover.

Here is one of the folders that I made and then the folders that my testers made are following, to give you some ideas.

I made a Scrappy Background from scraps for my folder and added an appliqué. (Hint: I also wrote a free tutorial on how to Sew a Scrappy Background in my PayHip Shop too. I gave this to my sister who has a 5th wheel and she keeps items inside that are need for trips.

Two different pockets inside the folder.

Pockets for paper and elastic for holding a  pen.

Here are the tester's versions~

Joan of Moosestash Quilting.

Sandie of Crazy'Bout Quilts

Jeanna of Slammin' the Screen Door

Tara (no blog).

I want to thank my testers for taking the time to test for me and providing great feedback. Without their help I would have had a few typos, amongst other things, lol!

You can find the pdf pattern here in my PayHip Shop. Feel free to sell your finished folders, just please respect the Copyright and do not copy any part of the pattern without my permission in writing first. Thank you so much.

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For the Love of Embroidery Starts Monday August 5th

Jane from Jane's Fabric and Quilts is hosting For the Love of Hand Embroidery. There will be several blogs participating (including me on September 16). For the entire schedule you can click on the icon on the right side bar that looks like the one above. We are all doing our own hand embroidery using Presencia Finca Perle Cotton Size 12, which was provided by Jane. All the blogs participating will be posting on own blogs and also we'll be a guest on Jane's blog too on our scheduled day. I know I am looking forward to seeing all the embroidery creations. 

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